Could You Say "No" To This Guy?

Romney seems to have a special power...

The power to get whatever he wants.

Bill and I (and most especially William) have always suspected that due to Romney's "cuteness factor" he gets away with much more than he should. We have tried to resist his powers and do our very best to treat him like the rest of us mere mortals. However, others seem not to be immune to his power.

Two cases in point: Last week we needed to exchange a Nerf gun that he received as a birthday present that he is not allowed to keep due to the fact it is a gun (and we don't do those.) Toys R Us apparently has a new NAZI gift returning policy that states without a receipt you can not even exchange an item. The lady told Romney the news that we couldn't exchange the gun. Romney just put on the MOST pitiful face any human has ever produced and said "Awwww...." in a very pitiful voice and the lady was rendered helpless. She immediately snatched that gun up and said, "I can't turn that away. I'll do it just this once!"

Next, this morning at breakfast at our hotel in Kanab (Where we spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with Bill's Grandma and his sister, Anne and her son, Quentin), Romney was disappointed not to see any yogurt at the breakfast buffet. I told him I would ask the server if they had any more they could put out. She said they were out until the truck came with a delivery in two more days. Romney looked at her, put on that powerful smile and said "Awww... I really was hoping for a yogurt!" She didn't even hesitate before succumbing to his "cuteness", she said "Oh... I will ask the manager to run to the store and get you one." 15 minutes later she returned with a platter of 4 different flavor choices for the child who no one can turn down. (I was lucky and snagged one of the flavors he didn't want-- stinker took my favorite!) That left only two for the hordes of other disappointed guests whose cuteness factor palled in comparison and who would suffer a yogurt-less fate.

One day (in the not so distant pubescent future that awaits him) his cuteness may wane and he will equalize with the rest of us who have also lost our "cuteness" powers to suffer the word "NO!" and all it's miseries.

Until that day... we pray and hope that he will choose to use his powers for good, instead of evil.

Bouncin' Off The Walls

Romney's 20 closest friends (plus a few of their siblings) joined my active 6 year old boy today to celebrate his birthday. When I was perusing the internet (during William's birthday party-- such a geek) for places we could host his entire kindergarten class + a few other important friends I found a company called "Bouncin' Off the Walls". This wasn't an entirely new discovery, I knew the place existed, I admit. But it seemed to take on a fresh meaning when I applied it to Romney.

The place was a total hit. They rent out the entire joint to just the party kids and let everyone jump their little bodies crazy on those inflatable giant slides and castles and mazes as well as providing unlimited air hockey to provide a breather from all the jumping.

There is nothing more fun than watching a room full of jumping and laughing 5 and 6 year olds. Except perhaps jumping and laughing yourself. Did I mention the adults are allowed to jump with the kids!

After all the raucous activities we retired to the party room where 20 starving children gorged themselves on chocolate cupcakes. The only time it felt chaotic with that many kids was present opening time. Romney enjoys a spotlight aimed his direction, and savored sitting in his big red party chair with all the kids clamoring to have him open their present next.

I tried an experiment this year with his birthday. . . I put a request on the invitation to not buy anything new, but rather to choose a book or toy that the guest was done using to give Romney as a gift. It was perfect and if we do another party that size again (give me 12 more months, I may be up for it), I would most definitely make that request again. Romney walked away with quite a haul and happy as a clam with his 2nd -hand gifts

Free Rice

Tis the season of gratitude.

How do you show yours?

Last year I stumbled across a website that would donate a dinner to a family for every Thanksgiving story shared. It seemed like an amazingly easy way to help feed a hungry family. It didn't cost anything other than time.

This year a friend sent out a link to www.freerice.com , a website that will donate free rice to help feed hungry all over the world. What interested me in this particular website is the "catch". The donation happens in 20 grains of rice increments for every correct answer you give in subjects ranging from Art to Math and English to Foreign Languages and Chemistry to Geography. You can help yourself get smarter at the same time you are helping others fill their bellies.

So for all you Ayn Rand fans out there--- don't worry, your altruism by participating will not diminish your own well-being. You will gratefully benefit yourselves as well.

The Necklace

In the tradition of all great 6 year old love affairs...

Romney has a little "girl" friend he has known since they were just a few months old. She had her 6th birthday on Saturday and Romney was determined to buy her a little present to send off to her.

He was willing to use some of his money to pitch in and he really wanted to pick out something a girl would like.

Bill teased Romney "Do you think Ashley would like some perfume? What would you want her to smell like?" and Romney answered "No, she doesn't need perfume. She already smells really good. I think she must take a million baths."

After looking around for a minute, we decided we would help him by giving him some suggestions. True to his Romney self, he listened and turned them all down one by one, until. . .

we got to "necklace". It was a very enthusiastic YES!!!!!! He went into the jewelry store and picked out at least 20 and narrowed it down one by one until he picked the one that reminded him of the time they kissed (when they were two or three. I am pretty sure he remembers the event only because I was able to catch it on my camera.) The shopgirl asked if we needed any help (most likely because we were sitting on the floor in the middle of the store with a handful of necklaces laid out side by side). I said he was picking out a present for a girl friend. (meaning female friend) and Romney said "Well she's only sort of my girl friend, not really-- but kind of!"

He picked out the one shown above and a sparkly purple lipstick case with cut out hearts to put it in. He used his money to buy it and was oh so very proud of choosing "just the right thing" for his "girl" friend.

Not bad from a boy who routinely wants to buy his dad Legos for Father's Day.

Hope

This election proved: Our system of government does not have to remain an Oligarchy nor an Aristocracy

There is hope again. . .

House of Horrors

My favorite holiday of the year has come and gone. The night where ghosts and goblins come to claim their bounty of free candy and it is socially acceptable, rather than reason to commit you, to pretend you are some one from a different time and place, and possibly, planet. Ahhhh... the joy that is Halloween.








Halloween would not be complete for my children without the annual decorating of the house. Even our friends' children asked us this year when we were going to decorate. (We were a bit slow about it this year!) Not one to disappoint (I voted to skip it this year), Bill braved our spooky basement and the very nasty cold and windy weather to put them all up while his helpers, one by one, ran back into the safety and warmth of the living room and watched him out the window.




When your father is a super hero who puts up Halloween decorations in the cold by himself to make his family happy, what other choice do you have as a son than to be a super hero yourself. That is just what William and Romney wanted to do this year. Both of them had very specific costumes in mind and luckily we found them at a store so I didn't have to figure out how to make them. Wolverine and Captain America were on guard this Halloween in case anyone tried to take too much of the Halloween candy we bravely left on the porch. That is what you have to do when both parents enjoy taking the kids trick-or-treating too much to be the sucker left at home handing out the goods.


Halloween night started the usual way with a quick bite to eat and the carving of a jack-o-lantern. This year we waited a bit long to buy our pumpkin (slacker parenting again!) and ended up with just one instead of 4. The kids both were able to pick out pumpkins and decorate them on a field trip this year, so don't feel too sorry for them. The kids drew out their design and Bill dutiful cut it as true to design as (Super) humanly possible.





After the pumpkin was carved we headed out to a party with some friends. I figured it was a Halloween party and that many people would be in costume. I figured SO VERY, VERY WRONG! I was the only adult in costume. Luckily it was a lame, last minute witch costume. Once I took off the hat and dumped my broom, it just looked like I had a Johnny Cash fetish (my all- black clothes) and didn't know when to stop using my eyeliner. We all had a nice time trick or treating for a minute and then hit the annual Trunk or Treat in the Avenues. Apparently, we were the only ones as there was no one was there (Most notably missing: the trunks full of treats). The kids were very disappointed, but quickly recovered when we said we would do more trick or treating with their friends. 2 gallon size ziplock baggies jam-packed with candy later, we declared the Halloween officially a success and officially over.

Only 364 more days to go. . .